Improvement in time-pieces



H. J. HOLDEN.

Time Piece.

Patented March 13, 1866.

19? gwj UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOBAN J. HOLDEN, OF GENOA, YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN TIME-PIECES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known "that I, HOBAN J. HOLDEN, of East Genoa, in the town of Genoa, in the county of Cayuga and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Method of Constructing Time-Pieces and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in operating the hour-hand of a time-piece by means of a twelve-sprocketed wheel, a catch, alever, and a tripper on the minute-hand shaft orpost.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, 1 will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

I construct my time-piece in any of the known forms in all except the differential gear, which I make as shown in the accompanying drawings. The drawings show only that part of a time-piece that carries the minute-hand shaft or post.

Figure l is a front view of the device, showing the sprocket-wheel and the spring which encircles its sleeve and holds itin place against the front plate. Fig. 2 is a side view. Fig. 3 is a section taken through the line 00 a: of Fig. 2. Fig. at is a perspective of detached parts.

The same letters and colors refer to like parts.

A is the front plate; a, post of the minutehand; I), collar, against which a wheel-and pinion of the train is pressed by a pin and washer or spring; 0, twelve-pointed sprocketwheel, the sleeve of which clasps the hourhand sleeve; 6, lever carrying the catch 1'. It is of peculiar construction, being so formed as to pass around the post a, and tripper t, and so bent or formed that t throws it in one direction in one-half of the revolution and in the contrary direction in the other half. t is also of peculiar construction. It hangs on the lever and tilts about the pin at 1 Its wide end is bent at right angles and works in the notches of o by the action of the trippcr t on its narrow end or limb.

Operation: The motion of the train carries the tripper it around against the catch '5 and forces it into the notch of 0. Then it lifts the lever, catch, and all as it slides to the points This moves 0 one notch or hour, t

of both. passes off of 1 which releases the catch from c, and, passing on around it, hits the long limb of the lever c and carries it back, while the catch 'i slides along the next sprocket of c in place for a new operation.

I out 011' the short limb of the lever e, as shown, so as to operate the detent of the striking-work from it. I remove the lever that the tripper of an ordinary striking-clock operates and insert the lever c and catch t" in its stead. In a watch I prolong this limb of the lever 6 so that the hands may be turned backward. The pin below the axis in the catch 2' (see Figs. 3 and 4) may be made fast in the lever c and passed through. a slit in the catch 1', if preferred so. The sprocket-wheel 0 may be placed inside the front plate, A, and worked without a spring, if preferred so. I wish only to secure the principle.

I do not claim the tripper and lever as used in all striking-clocks; but

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The tripper t, the lever c, the catch t, and wheel 0, in combination, when used as a differential gear.

HOBAN J. HOLDEN.

Witnesses:

J A0013 SHARPSTEEN, OnARLEs W. OSMUN, SAMUEL WrLsoN. 

